The third-ranked University of Connecticut Huskies put the brakes on a streaking Big Green soccer squad on Saturday as they outscored the Dartmouth women by 5-1.
It was, by all measures, the toughest game yet for the Big Green.
Since the season began about a month ago, the women's soccer team has played some impressive soccer. In each match, the Big Green have played hard from the start They've rallied strong through the middle, and they've hung tough until the end. Trust and teamwork have always been their greatest strengths.
Against UConn, things were no different.
The only difference this time was the score. But even the scoreboard wasn't a good yardstick on how the game went.
"We don't feel that it was a 5-1 game," Betsy Dobbin '98 said. "It wasn't as if UConn dominated us out there."
Sophomore Sue Eastman agreed. "We struggled a bit in front of the goal, and we had some trouble clearing the ball out of the box, but the whole time, we felt that we were well in the game."
The UConn salvo started early in the match as the Huskies connected for two goals within the first 17 minutes.
Ten minutes later, Dartmouth rallied back as the Big Green Scoring Machine, Jenna Kurowski '97, buried her 10th goal of the season. Kurowski charged through the Husky defense and nailed a cross from Melissa McBean '97 off the UConn keeper and into the net.
With a single tally to their credit, the Big Green pushed the ball into Husky territory and tried to even the score. But the Huskies would hold their one-goal lead through the half.
In the second go-around, the Husky offense swarmed the Dartmouth zone with solid passing and quick rushes through the middle.
"We took a bit of a pounding in the second half," Eastman said. "We had one or two good opportunities where we put the ball on the pitch, but we just couldn't capitalize."
The Husky attack, meanwhile, worked like a charm.
"[UConn] just did everything right," Dobbin said. "They didn't make many mistakes on the field."
UConn ended up sinking three more goals before the final whistle. On the whole, the Huskies outshot the Big Green 12-7.
But with the scores and numbers aside, the bigger picture can be taken into account. While the UConn game may have been a heart-breaker, it won't break the spirit of these Big Green women. Not as long as this senior-led squad wears the green and white.
"We played really hard out there so it wasn't a matter of losing because we just gave up or anything," Eastman said.
"We're on a down right now, but that'll just make us work harder to improve for the next game," Eastman added. "That's pretty much the team spirit, and I think we can learn from tough losses like this one."
The next game, to be sure, won't be a cakewalk. On Tuesday, the Big Green heads to Amherst to take on the 7th ranked squad from the University of Massachusetts. The match will end the team's five-game stretch on the road.
The Big Green enters the contest with a 6-2 overall record. They remain undefeated in Ivy League play.
